Xeon Gold 6526Y vs i7-3960X Extreme Edition
Aggregate performance score
Xeon Gold 6526Y outperforms Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition by a whopping 418% based on our aggregate benchmark results.
Primary details
Comparing Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Xeon Gold 6526Y processor market type (desktop or notebook), architecture, sales start time and price.
| Place in the ranking | 1119 | 149 |
| Place by popularity | not in top-100 | not in top-100 |
| Cost-effectiveness evaluation | no data | 56.28 |
| Market segment | Desktop processor | Server |
| Series | Intel Core i7EE | no data |
| Architecture codename | Sandy Bridge (2011−2013) | Emerald Rapids (2023) |
| Release date | 14 November 2011 (12 years ago) | 14 December 2023 (less than a year ago) |
| Launch price (MSRP) | no data | $1,517 |
Cost-effectiveness evaluation
Performance per price, higher is better.
Detailed specifications
Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Xeon Gold 6526Y basic parameters such as number of cores, number of threads, base frequency and turbo boost clock, lithography, cache size and multiplier lock state. These parameters indirectly say of CPU speed, though for more precise assessment you have to consider their test results.
| Physical cores | 6 (Hexa-Core) | 16 (Hexadeca-Core) |
| Threads | 12 | 32 |
| Base clock speed | no data | 2.8 GHz |
| Boost clock speed | 3.3 GHz | 3.9 GHz |
| Bus type | DMI 2.0 | no data |
| Bus rate | 5 GT/s | no data |
| Multiplier | 33 | no data |
| L1 cache | no data | 80 KB (per core) |
| L2 cache | 1,536 KB | 2 MB (per core) |
| L3 cache | 15 MB | 37.5 MB (shared) |
| Chip lithography | 32 nm | Intel 7 nm |
| Die size | 434.72 mm2 | 2x 763 mm2 |
| Maximum case temperature (TCase) | no data | 82 °C |
| Number of transistors | 2270 Million | no data |
| 64 bit support | + | + |
| Windows 11 compatibility | - | no data |
Compatibility
Information on Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Xeon Gold 6526Y compatibility with other computer components: motherboard (look for socket type), power supply unit (look for power consumption) etc. Useful when planning a future computer configuration or upgrading an existing one. Note that power consumption of some processors can well exceed their nominal TDP, even without overclocking. Some can even double their declared thermals given that the motherboard allows to tune the CPU power parameters.
| Number of CPUs in a configuration | 1 (Uniprocessor) | 2 |
| Socket | no data | FCLGA4677 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 195 Watt |
Technologies and extensions
Technological solutions and additional instructions supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Xeon Gold 6526Y. You'll probably need this information if you require some particular technology.
| Instruction set extensions | no data | Intel® AMX, Intel® SSE4.2, Intel® AVX, Intel® AVX2, Intel® AVX-512 |
| AES-NI | + | + |
| AVX | + | + |
| vPro | no data | + |
| Enhanced SpeedStep (EIST) | + | + |
| Speed Shift | no data | + |
| Turbo Boost Technology | no data | 2.0 |
| Hyper-Threading Technology | no data | + |
| TSX | - | + |
| Status | no data | Launched |
| Deep Learning Boost | - | + |
Security technologies
Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Xeon Gold 6526Y technologies aimed at improving security, for example, by protecting against hacks.
| TXT | no data | + |
| EDB | no data | + |
| SGX | no data | Yes with Intel® SPS |
| OS Guard | no data | + |
Virtualization technologies
Virtual machine speed-up technologies supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Xeon Gold 6526Y are enumerated here.
| VT-d | no data | + |
| VT-x | no data | + |
| EPT | no data | + |
Memory specs
Types, maximum amount and channel quantity of RAM supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Xeon Gold 6526Y. Depending on the motherboard, higher memory frequencies may be supported.
| Supported memory types | no data | DDR5-5200 |
| Maximum memory size | 64 GB | 4 TB |
| Max memory channels | no data | 8 |
| ECC memory support | - | + |
Graphics specifications
General parameters of integrated GPUs, if any.
| Integrated graphics card | no data | N/A |
Peripherals
Specifications and connection of peripherals supported by Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Xeon Gold 6526Y.
| PCIe version | 2.00 | 5.0 |
| PCI Express lanes | 40 | 80 |
Pros & cons summary
| Performance score | 5.76 | 29.85 |
| Recency | 14 November 2011 | 14 December 2023 |
| Physical cores | 6 | 16 |
| Threads | 12 | 32 |
| Power consumption (TDP) | 130 Watt | 195 Watt |
i7-3960X Extreme Edition has 50% lower power consumption.
Xeon Gold 6526Y, on the other hand, has a 418.2% higher aggregate performance score, an age advantage of 12 years, and 166.7% more physical cores and 166.7% more threads.
The Xeon Gold 6526Y is our recommended choice as it beats the Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition in performance tests.
Note that Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition is a desktop processor while Xeon Gold 6526Y is a server/workstation one.
Should you still have questions on choice between Core i7-3960X Extreme Edition and Xeon Gold 6526Y, ask them in Comments section, and we shall answer.
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